William W. Knight (February 8, 1909 – February 19, 1981) was an American lawyer, politician, and newspaper publisher. He lived, worked in, and raised a family with his wife, Lota Hatfield Knight, in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. Their son,

Phil Knight Philip Hampson Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and chairman ''emeritus'' of Nike, Inc., and was previously chairman and CEO of the company. As of October 3, 2022, Knight was ranke ...

, a high school and college athlete, went on to co-found

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

Life and career

Commonly known as Bill, Knight was born on February 8, 1909, in

Winnebago, Minnesota Winnebago is a city in Faribault County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,391 at the 2020 census. History Winnebago was originally called Winnebago City, and under the latter name was laid out in 1856. The city was named after th ...

, to Fred A. Knight and Edith M. Knight, but grew up in

Roseburg, Oregon Roseburg is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is in the Umpqua River, Umpqua River Valley in southern Oregon and is the county seat and most populous city of Douglas County, Oregon, Douglas County. Founded in 1851, the population was 23,683 a ...

. Knight received his law degree from the

University of Oregon School of Law The University of Oregon School of Law is a public law school in the U.S. state of Oregon. Housed in the Knight Law Center, it is Oregon's only state funded law school. The school, founded in 1884, is located on the University of Oregon campus in ...

in 1932. In 1935, he was elected as a Republican to the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the ...

from

Douglas County, Oregon Douglas County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 111,201. The county seat is Roseburg. The county is named after Stephen A. Douglas, an American politician who supported Orego ...

; Knight was 26. He served one term. "He also served as a Douglas County deputy district attorney under

Guy Cordon Guy F. Cordon (April 24, 1890June 8, 1969) was an American author, politician and lawyer from the state of Oregon. A native of Texas, he served in the Army during World War I and later was the district attorney of Douglas County in Southern Orego ...

, who later was a U.S. Senator." In 1939, Knight and his family moved to Portland, where he became "legal counsel for the Industrial Relations Association of Oregon." Knight's 18-year tenure as publisher of ''

The Oregon Journal ''The Oregon Journal'' was Portland, Oregon's daily afternoon newspaper from 1902 to 1982. The ''Journal'' was founded in Portland by C. S. "Sam" Jackson, publisher of Pendleton, Oregon's ''East Oregonian'' newspaper, after a group of Portlander ...

'' began in February 1953, with the sudden death of then-publisher Philip L. Jackson from a heart-attack. Along with the newspaper came responsibility for managing the company's radio stations, including KPOJ AM & FM. In 1959, the ''Journal'' and Portland's other newspaper, ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'', were struck by a labor dispute over working conditions. The strike continued for several years, with US Senator

Wayne Morse Wayne Lyman Morse (October 20, 1900 – July 22, 1974) was an American attorney and United States Senator from Oregon. Morse is well known for opposing his party's leadership and for his opposition to the Vietnam War on constitutional grounds. ...

calling for mediation. Knight retired in December 1971, at age 62.

Family and end of life

Knight and the former Lota Hatfield (second cousin of

Mark Hatfield Mark Odom Hatfield (July 12, 1922 – August 7, 2011) was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served for 30 years as a United States senator from Oregon, and also as chairman of the Senate Appropr ...

), of Roseburg, were married on March 4, 1937. The couple had three children, including twin daughters in addition to their son, Phil. Mrs. Knight "devoted herself to her home and to the raising of her three children." William Knight died in Portland, Oregon, on February 19, 1981. Lota died on March 8, 2007, at age 91."KNIGHT, Lota Hatfield January 22, 1916-March 8, 2007," ''The Oregonian''.
Accessed: May 13, 2012.

Service and legacy

Knight served a term as president of the

Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association The Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association is a trade association for all paid-circulation daily, weekly, and multi-weekly newspapers in the U.S. state of Oregon. It represents and promotes newspapers, and encourages excellence in reporting and ...

, in 1970. The William W. Knight Law Center, home of the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

Law School, is named after him, "in recognition of a generous gift given to the building campaign by his son, Philip Knight '58, UO alumnus and chairman and CEO of Nike." The facility was "dedicated September 15, 1999, by U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Sandra Day O'Connor Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is an American retired attorney and politician who served as the first female associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. She was both the first woman nominated and th ...

.""Knight Law Center," University of Oregon
Accessed: May 13, 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, William W. People from Winnebago, Minnesota Politicians from Roseburg, Oregon Businesspeople from Portland, Oregon University of Oregon School of Law alumni Members of the Oregon House of Representatives American newspaper publishers (people) Portland, Oregon Republicans 1909 births 1981 deaths Oregon lawyers 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American legislators 20th-century American lawyers